THE
wave
RACHAEL GILLETTE PENSACOLA
CHAMPIONS
THE CLASS OF 2021
Pinnacle Awards program honors four women of the Emerald Coast by STEVE BORNHOFT and HANNAH BURKE
Rowland Publishing’s Pinnacle Awards program has celebrated scores of women of influence and distinction in the years since it was established in 2014. Honorees unfailingly have both excelled professionally and as women unselfishly committed to community betterment. They are givers, not takers; optimists, not defeatists; visionary, not complacent. The Pinnacle Awards Class of 2021 includes four highly consequential women from Emerald Coast communities. They are profiled here.
Rachael Gillette, Pensacola
Once a British barrister, she helps businesses raise the bar Rachael Gillette, in her role as the president of the Studer Community Institute, gets to do what she loves to do every day. “I am on a mission to improve the quality of life for people,” she said. “I love to help others be the best they can be, and I have the honor of working alongside Quint Studer and have him as my leader, mentor, role model and coach.” The nonprofit SCI offers programs, events and trainings designed to
22
December 2021-January 2022
improve school readiness; raise what Studer likes to call the civic IQ; and furnish people with skills training to enable them to launch and grow businesses. It is the latter “lane” where Gillette spends her time. More particularly, she is focused on leadership. Leadership is a big umbrella, she concedes, one that includes communication, time management, teamwork and more. And leadership must be exercised to navigate a wide range of issues, some resulting from external factors and others that develop internally. Businesses do well, Gillette said, by being proactive and agile.
EMERALDCOASTMAGA ZINE.COM
“Suddenly last year, businesses had to adapt to operating remotely,” she said, “and had to figure out how to keep a company culture strong when people are not in the same building. Now, we are struggling to reopen our businesses and hire people and rebuild.” For Gillette and for many, the pandemic was a teacher. “We learned that we have to be resilient to survive,” Gillette said, noting efforts by SCI to provide businesses with coaching and resources they needed to carry on. “We were reminded about the importance of investing in relationships. We have to have resources, we have to have money, but at the end of the day, it’s photography by THE WORKMANS
